Are there any good cheap USB joypads? (1 Viewer)

[Christian Behrens]

I was wondering what a good USB joypad/gamepad might be. It's supposed to be a simple one to (mostly) play games that require digital steering, i.e. the types of Galaga, Pac-Man, etc.

Do good pads for PCs/Macs exist? Is e.g. this Gravis Gamepad any good?

If the Sega Saturn Pad released in Japan wouldn't be so expensive, I would probably give that a try.

Or should I look into one of the many gamepad converters that let you connect PS2/GC/DC/Xbox controllers via USB to your PC/Mac and are easily available on eBay?

Thanks,

-Christian

 

[Ken Chui]

I have used the Gravis Gamepad and I won't recommend it. Driver updates are infrequent, and the buttons lack the necessary responsiveness for faster-paced action games.

There are good gamepads for the PC (not sure about the Mac, as I don't own or use one). If you like the ergonomics of the PlayStation DualShock 2 controller, then I would suggest looking at the Logitech® Dual Action™ Gamepad, which received solid ratings in PC gaming publications such as Computer Gaming World. Logitech produces a number of officially licensed accessories and peripherals for the PS2, and they've incorporated some of those technologies into PC-specific applications.

I don't have any hands-on experience with the converters/adapters available for cross-platform use (i.e. PS2/Gamecube/Xbox-to-PC), but some people claimed to have had decent in-game results. A couple of the more popular ones are the 'Super JoyBox 5' and 'SmartJoy PLUS', if you're looking to go that route.

I prefer the K/M setup for PC gaming, but for the occasional game that suggests gamepads/joysticks, I use an inexpensive Saitek gamepad that I picked up at Wal-Mart for under $10.